Ryan says they are determined to have a good campaign and battle it out in the top half, rather than face another battle to beat the drop.

He said: “We just want to improve on last season but you always want to be at the top end of the table. We said on the first day of pre-season that we want a good season after what went on last season.

“Every footballer wants to be challenging for play-offs and promotion. We started off well and were up there towards the top of the table. We want to get back there and I don’t see why we can’t.”

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